DRUG ABUSE CHARGES AFFECT MANY FAMILIES

Moore County Sheriff Lane Carter should be commended for his handling
of his son's drug arrest. A less honorable man may have been tempted
to look the other way or call off his investigators.

That was never an option for our sheriff. Many families in Moore
County share Carter's plight as they have watched a loved one spiral
through the downward cycle of prescription abuse -- for many, a
certain path into the -criminal justice system.

Prescription narcotics can be more addictive than illegal street
drugs. Many people falsely believe that because a drug is prescribed
by a doctor, it must be safe. A narcotic is a narcotic, whether
obtained from a pharmacy, street--corner drug dealer or family
medicine cabinet.

Prescription narcotics can also be deadly, especially when combined
with alcohol or other drugs. Obtaining prescription narcotics is too
easy. Doctor shopping has become a common occurrence in which a
patient sees multiple doctors and obtains multiple -prescriptions for
narcotics.

Doctor shopping is a felony, and we -prosecute these cases regularly.
However, it may be preventable. There is a prescription database
doctors can access; it shows whether the patient has obtained any
other narcotic prescriptions lately. Although law enforcement has
strongly encouraged doctors to use this database voluntarily, it is
not mandatory.

The General Assembly needs to pass a bill that (1) requires doctors to
screen the -prescription database before writing a -narcotics
prescription; (2) expands law enforcement access to the prescription
- -database from the State Bureau of Investigation to sheriffs and local
narcotics investigators; and (3) requires the -prescription-holder to
sign a registry at the pharmacy like the one required for cold
- -medications.

Moore County has many support groups. Check The Pilot for listings.
Treatment resources can be located at www.drugfreemc.com.

Maureen Krueger

District Attorney

Carthage